“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
-Acts 1:8
Today’s celebration of Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season, and the beginning of the entire history of the Church. In fact, Pentecost is considered the birth-day of the Church.
From all eternity, God willed to make his goodness and love known. All of creation proclaims God’s goodness, and within creation, man and woman uniquely made in God’s image and likeness, are alone able to understand and respond in freedom and love to the boundless love and freedom of God himself.
In the fullness of time, God sent his only Son in human flesh. And Jesus offered his flesh once and for all on the Cross. Raised up in glory, he has not gone away from us. In fact, through the Gift of the Holy Spirit, he abides even more intimately in his Body, the Church.
The “power” which Jesus promised through his Spirit is communicated to us through the sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, Matrimony and Holy Orders, Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. These sacraments are not simply sentimental ceremonies we made up. They are outward signs given us by Christ himself to truly hand on to us the saving grace Jesus won for us. That is why the sacraments continue to be celebrated within the Church, under the guidance of the successors to the Apostles.
From the earliest days of the Church, the Apostles were aware that the gift they had received from Jesus was not meant to simply end with them. Before Pentecost, they appointed Matthias to take the place of Judas, to witness to the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:15-26). This handing on of authority continues even to this day. Just last week we received news that Fr. Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, has been appointed by Pope Leo to succeed Bishop Frank Dewane as head of the Diocese of Venice. On July 11, Fr. Emilio will be ordained a bishop through the laying on of hands – just as the apostles handed on authority from the earliest days of the Church.
The purpose of this handing on of power and authority is to ensure that what Jesus won for his Church remains always available, accessible and effective for us. From the day of Pentecost until today – and until the end of the world – Jesus is faithful to his promise “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). With gratitude to God for the faithful and dedicated ministry of Bishop Emeritus Frank Dewane, let us pray for our Bishop Elect Emilio Biosca Agüero. As he will receive the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders at his episcopal ordination, may he be strengthened to hand on that power of the Holy Spirit through the sacraments administered here, in the flock of the Diocese of Venice which the Lord has chosen to entrust to his care.
-Fr. Tom
Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, a Capuchin Franciscan missionary who served in Cuba and Papua New Guinea, and Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Fla., pose for a photo in Venice May 13, 2026, after it was announced that Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Dewane, 76, who had led the southwest Florida diocese since 2006, and appointed Father Biosca as the new bishop of Venice. (OSV News photo/courtesy Diocese of Venice)
